Thursday, December 29, 2005

Race relations today

Using the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the government has alleged that Brown and local elections officials discriminated against whites. It is the first time the Justice Department has ever claimed that whites suffered discrimination in voting because of race.

Brown thinks it’s politically motivated and that the Justice Department is in league with the Republican Party. Although one of the witnesses is a Democrat. He’s white, however, and alleges that Brown imports black candidates from out of county to run for offices against white Democrats.

The president of the Mississippi NAACP, Derrick Johnson, says there is still plenty of discrimination against black voters in the state, and he questions the Bush administration's priorities in bringing this suit.

"We've had several issues over the years of what appeared to be racial discrimination against black voters and the Justice Department has yet to come in and do a thorough investigation," Johnson said. "And for them to take on this case is highly unusual and very suspect."

I think that Johnson might be right about that. I know that there is still discrimination against black people in this country, although nothing like 30 years ago, and he perhaps there are dubious motivations surrounding the Justice Department’s case. However, if Brown IS in the wrong here, two wrongs definitely don’t make a right, and if you really want to make a point, Mr. Brown and Mr. Johnson, please prove that you are better than the white racists by proving that you are not racists yourselves.